A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for heating a liquid, and also delivery of said liquid. More particularly this invention is adapted to be used in circumstances where certain modern conveniences are not present, and the heat source is one that is not especially arranged for the convenient heating of a liquid, such as in heating water by means of a campfire or the like, or in a fireplace in a recreational cabin.
Background Art
Many (if not most) campers, backpackers, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or others who enjoy outdoor living have had the experience of heating water over an outdoor fire, such as a campfire. In fact, one of the attractions of such outdoor activities is to forego some of the conveniences of a modern kitchen and "get back to basics", such as cooking over an open fire, and also heating water for various purposes (e.g. cooking food, preparing a cup of coffee or some other beverage, hot water for washing, etc.).
One method of heating water over a campfire is to place the water in a kettle and position the kettle over or adjacent to the flames of the fire to be heated thereby. Sometimes a wire metal grate is provided to extend from side supports across the fire. In other instances, a metal rod or the like is positioned over the fire and the kettle is suspended by a U shaped handle from the rod. Sometimes a metal pot having a laterally extending handle is placed on a couple of burning logs near the periphery of the fire so that it is supported close enough to the fire to warm the water, and yet the handle is accessible to be grasped with a glove and move the pot away from the fire to pour the water.
In a typical camping situation where water is being heated, there is also the question of timing. For example, when a backpacker has arrived at a campsite and has started a small wood fire in the brisk evening air, often one of the first things that a person wants is a cup or two of a hot beverage (tea, coffee, hot chocolate, etc.). At a later time, a quantity of hot water is often needed to cook the meal. At the conclusion of the meal, an additional amount of hot water will be useful in properly cleaning the cooking and eating utensils. This often requires moving the kettle or pot over the fire, then off the fire, etc.
Further, in setting up camp, there are often a number of tasks to be performed, such as setting up a tent, getting the air mattresses and sleeping bags in place, finding a nearby tree limb or the like that is suitable for hoisting a backpack to a suitable location to be away from animals who might get into the backpack at night, getting water from the nearby stream, gathering some firewood, etc. Admittedly, one of the pleasurable challenges for the camper or outdoorsman is to perform these tasks without the conveniences of a modern kitchen. Even so, quite often human ingenuity is challenged to perform these tasks effectively, while still remaining within the more natural environment without complex modern conveniences, and shunning the modern "gadgets".
In other instances, people seek a more natural environment, without all the conveniences and complexities of a modern home, by setting up a more permanent campsite or possibly spending a number of days in a vacation cabin where there is no central heating, no electricity, and little or no plumbing. Usually such a cabin (or possibly a tent set up as a more permanent campsite) would be located near a source of fresh water, such as a nearby stream or lake. The water needed for drinking, cooking, washing the cooking appliances and utensils, and also for personal hygiene, is carried in pails or other containers to the cabin or tent. Again, the water is heated over an outdoor campfire, over a fire in an indoor fireplace, or possibly over a wood burning stove.
In these circumstances also, while the intent is to preserve the more natural living environment, a person will still sometimes seek more imaginative solutions for accomplishing these chores. This is particularly true where the solution itself does not depend upon the sophistication of present day technology incorporated in a modern kitchen or in the plumbing system of a modern home.
A search of the patent literature has disclosed a number of patents relating to heating water from some source such as a stove, furnace or the like. These are the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,431,565 (Nelson) shows a portable shower where a mixture of hot and cold water can be delivered to the shower nozzle head 16. Water is drawn from a container 20 by means of a pump 24 and delivered to a junction 32 having two outlets, namely the pipes 34 and 36. The unheated water is delivered through the conduit 34 to the valve 18, while the conduit 36 leads the water through a heating unit 38. This heating unit comprises a coiled conduit positioned over a stove which causes the water passing through the conduit to be heated and then delivered to the pipe 40 and then to the valve 18. The valve 18 on the shower head is adjusted to get the proper blend of hot and cold water. The pump 24 is electrically operated, and as shown herein has a set of connecting leads that are connected to the automobile battery.
The remaining patents relate primarily to water heating devices at more or less fixed locations, and water is drawn from a tank to pass through a heat exchanger, after which it is returned to the tank. It appears that most of these depend upon the recirculation of the water by convection current (where the heated water is less dense and thus causes the flow) from the container through a heat exchanger of some sort exposed to a source of heat, and then back to a tank, more or less in a continuous process. In one of these, the water is heated in the heat exchanger to form steam that in turn passes back to the tank. These patents are the following.
U.S. Pat. No. 44,542 (McIntyre et al) shows a water heating device where there is a water tank "a" having a pipe "c" which leads into a heat exchange pipe section with a coil. The opposite end of the pipe coil extends through an upper pipe back to the tank. The coil is placed in the flu of a stove and heated by the same so as to heat the water that passes therethrough. The circulation of the water is presumably cause by the heat of the water rising in the coil, and with the cold water flowing into the coil through the lower pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 478,331 (Joerden) shows a cooker where a pipe extends from a water containing vessel into the flu of a stove, thence upwardly and thence back into the water in the container. The heating of the water in the pipe section in the flu causes steam to pass into the contained water and heat the same for cooking.
U.S. Pat. No. 874,991 (Prien) shows a water heater that circulates the water in the tank through a heat exchanger in a furnace. The water passes from the tank through the pipe 13 and exits from the pipe 10 into a concentric outer pipe 9 which is in the furnace and acts as a heat exchanger. Then the water passes upwardly through the pipe 15 into the tank 14, to be discharged as hot water from the pipe 17.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,917,586 (Huber) shows a water heater where cold water is directed through the pipe 16 into the tank 4, and the water flows through the tank 4 through the pipe 14 into a heating drum 5. This drum 5 is positioned above a heating element 1. Then the water from the drum 5 flows through a return pipe 13 back into the tank 4 and then it's directed through a pipe 17 as hot water.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,238,375 (Simpson) shows a water heater to be used in connection with a range (i.e. a stove). There is a water tank 16 which surrounds the flu of the stove so that water in the tank is heated. In FIG. 7 a heat exchange coil is positioned in the flu.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,293,323 (Cohen) shows a heat recovery system that has a heat exchanger 10 placed in a water tank. This is used in combination with a refrigeration system and the high temperature compressed refrigerant is directed through an inner tube that is concentrically positioned within an outer tube 12. Heat exchange takes place through the tube 12 with the surrounding water.